Gate.



JOSEPH s. JOHNSON, or Lon onIo.

GATE.

I No. 845,419.

Qipecification of Letters Patent; Application filed September l5, 1906. Serial No. 383,806.

Patented Feb. 26, 1907.

' T on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH S. J0nNsoN,-a citizen of the United States, residing at Lodi,

in the county of Medina and Stat-e of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gates, of which the following is aspecification. v

The invention relates to lmprovements 1n farm-gates, and particularly to that class of gates which are adapted to have their outer I or free ends raised or elevated .to any desired tions, such as uneven slsts 1n the novel construction, arrangement,

position and automatically locked and sustained in that position for the passage of small stock thereunder and for permitting the gate when opened to pass over obstrucground, stones, snowbanks, &c'. r

The invention relates more particularly to an improved latch or locking mechanism adapted to automatically lock the gate when moved to its closed or initial position and to an improved hinge-rack or ratchet bar and pawl adapted to automatically lock and sustain the gate in any desired elevated position to which the free end of the gate maybe adjusted and adapted to be applied to any ordinary hinged gate.

:- The paramount object of theinvention is to provide a generally-improved gate of this class which will be exceedingly simple in construction, cheap of manufacture, efficient in use, and much better adapted to its in-- tended purposes than any other device of the same class with which I am acquainted.

With these ends in view the invention conand combination of parts hereinafter described,' illustrated in the accompanying drawings,- and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved gate in its closed position; Fig.2, an enlarged sectional vievs takenthrough line 2 2 of Fig. 1, giving a more detailed view of the latch or locking mechanism; Fig. 3., a modified form of adjustable hinge-rack mechanism.

Similar-characters of reference designate like parts throughout all the figures of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, itwillbe seen that the gate in the present instance is mounted and interposed between the usual posts 1 and. 2., erected at any desired point, the post 1 being provided with the usual hinge-hook 3 at the base and a screw-eye 4' near the top.

Referring now to the gate proper, it will be V seen that it consists of the usual horizontal bars 5, secured at their ends by means of the usual end or vertical members 6, and allthe horizontal bars'5 are further braced and secured by-means of the usual bracin or sus taining members 7. The gate is liingedly mounted and secured to the post 1 by means of a hinge-strap 8, which takes over the hinge-hook ,3, and a horizontally-arranged hinge-rack or ratchet-bar 9, having a hooked end 10, which takes into the screw-eye 4,.as shown. In order to provide means for raising and lowering the free end of the gate and automatically locking and securing the same in any desired position-to. which it .may beadjusted, the hinge end of the gate has its usual hinge upright members or bars 6 set in and inclined from the post 1 and is provided with a bolt or pin 11, adapted to heengagcd by the ratchet-teeth 12 of the hinge rack or bar 9, as shown in Fig. 1, or when used in connection'with the modified'form of hingerack (shown in Fig. 3) adapted to act as a guidepin or member over which the hingerack slides when the free end of the gate is raised or lowered, as hereinafter more f v described. e

The hinge-rack 9 is interposed between the hinge upright members or bars 6, as shown, and a second set of upright members 6 are preferably mounted at the rear and are adapted to furthersupport and'brace this portion of the gate as well as serve as lateral guides for the hinge-rack 9 to prevent any lateral motion of the gate at the-upper rear end thereof.

When it is desired to raise or elevate the free end of the gate and lock the same m an elevated position for the passage of small stock thereunder or for permitting the gate when'opened to pass over obstructions, the

.free end is elevated to the position desired and the depending rearwardly inclined ratchet-teeth 12 will pass freely over the body or pin 11, and when raised to the position desired the teeth 12 will automatically engage therewith to prevent the gate from being lowered and securely holding the same in the position to which it has been adjusted.

When it is desired to lower the gate, the gate is elevated slightly and the hinge-rack 9 is elevated by means of a 'wire 13, attached ing its depending end-provided with a small Weight 15. It will thus be seen that as the hinge-rack 9 is elevatedthe ratchet-teeth 12 will be raised out of engagement with the bolt or pin 1-1,a11d the'freeend ofthe gate may be owered to the position desired and the teeth of the hinge-rack lowered through the mediumof the wire 13. to again engage the bolt or pinlll.

In the modified farm of the hingeerack (shown in Fig. 3).,the ratchet-teeth, 12 are formed on the upper portion of the bar and are automatically engaged by jmeans J of" a pivotally-mounted pawl 16, connected to the wire 13, by means of which it is elevated out of engagement with the teeth 12 ,when it-is desired to lower the gate. The pawl 16 is preferably providedv with a counterweight 17 to insure at all times its automatic engagement with .the teeth 12.

The gate is automatically locked or secured in i-ts closed ,or initial osition by means of'a latch-and-lever mem er consisting of, a main O-shapedgmain body portion 1 8, pivotally mounted and interposed between. the frontend vertical members 6 by means of a pivotin 19, provided at its front with an integra latch portion 20 and at its rear with an integral horizontally-extending operating handle 2 1. The; latch and le-ver member is held in its normal engaging position by means of a coil-spring-22, preferably secured at one end to the upper base portion of the handle 21 and secured at the other to a staple or screw-eye in'the lower edge of the horizontal bar 5 above. The latch portion 20 is adapted to automatically engage an adjustablymounted keeperlate 23, 'provided with a beveled striker-p ate 24, having a recess25- for the latch. The keeper-plate 23 is adjustably secured to the post 2 by ings, the operation and advantages of my in- I vention W1 l be readily understood.

Having thus described my invention, Without having attempted to set forth all the forms in which it. may be made or allthe modes of its use, I declare that what I claim,

and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A gate, consisting of a series of longitudinal bars'suitably braced and provided with a fi ont and rear set of hinge members set in and inclined from the hinge-post, a horizontally-arranged hingevrack interposed between said hinge members and provided with a pintle-hook and a downwardly --inclined free end, a screw-eye -taking over said book, a pin interposed between said front set of inclined hingemembers and adapted to be engaged by said hinge-rack, anda cord se cured to the freeiend of said hinge-rack to elevate and releasethe same from said pin.

2. In a gate, provided with a front and rear set of hinge members set in and inclined from the hi ge p'ost, a hinge connection consisting of a hinge-rack. interposed between said .hinge members andQprovided with a gintle-hook, a screw-e e mounted inlsaid inge-post and engage by said hook, a pinv secured-to said front set .of hinge membersan'd/adapted to be engaged by said suitab y hinge-rack, and meanssecured -to the free end of said hinge-rack and'adapted to rais said hinge-rack to release the same from said pm.

In testimony whereof I, have signed my name to this specification-in the twosubscribing witnesses.

I JOSEPH s. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

R. K..GAMBLE.

presence of 

